Blue Orfe

Question
Hi,
I have two orfe (one golden, one blue), in a hexagonal tank that holds 50 litres of water. They are the only fish in the tank. The water is filtered and aerated. I also have a piece of bog wood on the bottom of the tank.
I am concerned about the health of my blue orfe. It appears to be having what I can only assume are either fits or seizures. It will swim very fast in circles, often hitting himself on the lid of the tank or on the sides. These circles are usually like loops, like an aircraft doing loop the loops. This usually ends up with it being upside down, and it occassionally struggles to right itself. It appears to be breathing okay, and does not have any noticable marks or injuries to it.

The golden orfe doesn't do any of this, but does have a noticeable curve in its back. Just past the dorsal fin the back curves upwards and slightly to the left. I believe this is a common deformity in orfes. I don't know if this has anything to do with the state of the other fish's health.

Your help with this will be appreciated.

Many thanks.

Jason

Answer
How big are your orfe?  50 L is less than 20 US gallons.  Orfe can grow to 2 feet long.  My two adults are 1.5 feet long.  That and the fact that they move fast means that they really need a pond over 1000 gallons and won't do well in tanks except maybe as babies.

The spazing that you mention can be due to a number of things:
1.  Neurological problem - nothing you can do about that
2.  Water quality issue - be sure to test your pH, hardness, ammonia, nitrite, and oxygen levels
3.  Parasites (treating orfe for parasites may endanger them more than the parasites since they are sensitive to parasitic medications)
4.  Behavioral (not as likely but would be due to the small confines of the tank and not being able to swim in a straight line for at least 5 feet)

As for the bent spine, that seems to happen pretty often with orfe.  I have a section entitiled, "Why is my fish bent?" at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/health4.htm#bent
Bent spines can be due to electrical shocks, fish tuberculosis, vitamin deficiences, and other problems.

The best suggestion I could give you is to get your orfe into a pond as soon as the weather and other things permit.

My orfe page is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/orfe.htm

Good luck!